Press and Media

bcalm is a revolutionarymedical device for the relief of panic

The story

bcalm has been created and developed by a team of doctors in the US, UK, and Finland. The idea for the product was originally conceived by panic disorder expert Dr Stephen Cox and leading addiction science psychologist David Sinclair PhD.

They saw there was nothing on the market that would quickly help their patients during a panic episode and decided to develop a suitable product - bcalm is the result.

The problem

Millions of people around the world have panic and anxiety episodes: 40 million people in the US alone have some kind of anxiety disorder, but many suffer in silence. Sometimes they feel guilty that they are holding back their loved ones, perhaps by being scared to travel on a family trip. Twenty percent of untreated panic disorder patients attempt suicide. This is a higher suicide attempt rate than for depression. This is often because they don't know what is happening to them, they are afraid of what people will think, or they think that nothing will help, because nothing has so far.

The science

Scientific research has shown that you have a receptor in your throat that constantly monitors CO2 levels. When these are elevated for some reason - perhaps because you are in a place with high CO2 levels like elevators - then this can trigger a panic response. Research has also shown that some people have a lower tolerance for high CO2 levels than others, so are more likely to have a panic episode. There are secondary triggers for panic attacks such as adrenalin or low progesterone levels, but CO2 is usually the main factor.

The product

When you exhale into bcalm the air is diverted out into the environment. In its place, you breathe in air that has been filtered by the device to reduce CO2 levels. In effect, your air supply has been 'scrubbed' of high C02. This CO2 'scrubbing' process is very safe, and is also used in anesthesia machines and in rebreathers used by divers. After about 6 or 7 breaths, the CO2 levels in your throat are back to a much lower level. This means your CO2 receptor now sends a message to your brain, saying "relax, it's okay". .